[BUG]: Nothing was scraped.

[im-phantom]

It doesn't scrape anything.
Eg:
ytfzf Linux tips
then it throws the following error:
Scraping YouTube (with ) (Linux tips, pg: 1) [ERROR]: Nothing was scraped

OS = Linux 6.12.7-arch1-1
version = ytfzf: git-2051.a67ba26
Terminal = kitty 0.38.1

[atkirtland]

To fix this, I just had to set the invidious_instance environment variable like: invidious_instance="https://vid.puffyan.us" ytfzf Linux tips

[plum]

I restorted to using that since just before christmas, as follows, from the cmmand line,
to reach the ytfzf search prompt.:
~$ invidious_instance="https://vid.puffyan.us" ytfz

But as from today even that does not work.

The following command produces 'no available instances', as follows:

$ ~$ ytfzf --available-inv-instances

Tue  7 Jan 22:07:01 GMT 2025

What am I to suspect, and what can be done?

[plum]

Update: After placing the environmental variable as follows, in the conf.sh file shortly after posting the above, it works again:

invidious_instance="https://vid.puffyan.us"
It also works on the command line as, shown above.

Yet $ ~$ ytfzf --available-inv-instances still produces no result (i.e available instances)!

What is happening with instances?

[AlleyPally]

It seems as though Youtube is giving Invidious instances a hard time again. :(

[plum]

It seems as though Youtube is giving Invidious instances a hard time again. :(

Ah! Just I imagined.... Is it spanners thrown into the Youtube works, I wondered?

[rabpaulo]

https://github.com/ThatOneCalculator/ytfzfim

orphan fork working just fine somehow

[plum]

@rabpaulo THnaks. I might try that.
We know why ytfzm, as @AlleyPally has informed us, and we see by the invidious problems.

I meanwhile, have found and recommend a particular bash script , which because it does not reply upon ytdl to work. and has some very nice enhancements to the bash menu doveltailing with your own youtube channel and sunbscriotions and lists. It's excellent.
Benexl/yt-x: Browse youtube from your terminal

[tabletseeker]

Updated and working ytfzf project here:
https://github.com/tabletseeker/ytfzf_prime

[shibahex]

For anyone with this issue, please go into .config/ytfzf/conf.sh and set invidious_instance to a server that works.
Self-hosting one would make this fix permanent but heres an active one for July 2025:

Warning

PUBLICLY HOSTED & UNVERIFIED SOURCE
invidious_instance="https://invidious.flokinet.to"

[tabletseeker]

invidious_instance="https://invidious.flokinet.to"

You should not recommend unofficial or unverified instances.

Invidious developers are clear on this:

Warning: Any public instance that isn't in this list is considered untrustworthy. Use them at your own risk.

Only use instances that are listed here: https://docs.invidious.io/instances

Otherwise you can host your own instance with literally two commands using docker or podman (instructions included):

https://github.com/tabletseeker/invidious

[shibahex]

invidious_instance="https://invidious.flokinet.to"

You should not recommend unofficial or unverified instances.

Invidious developers are clear on this:

Warning: Any public instance that isn't in this list is considered untrustworthy. Use them at your own risk.

Only use instances that are listed here: https://docs.invidious.io/instances

Otherwise you can host your own instance with literally two commands using docker or podman (instructions included):

https://github.com/tabletseeker/invidious

Even though this comment is hypocritical to the fork you advertise (you also use this unoffical instance) This comment is correct and ill add a warning to my initial comment

[tabletseeker]

Even though this comment is hypocritical to the fork you advertise (you also use this unoffical instance) This comment is correct and ill add a warning to my initial comment

My ytfzf fork uses https://inv.nadeko.net which is on the official list of verified instances.

https://invidious.flokinet.to is only used for queries in case inv.nadeko.net is not scrapable. Big difference.

I'm implementing the self-hosted invidious containers as a pod, so that ytfzf_prime will only use its own self-hosted invidious instance, automatically.

[diegorodriguezv]

I tried all the instances listed in the invidious documentation and they produced the same error. Only the instance recommended above worked alright.

invidious_instance="https://invidious.flokinet.to/"
#invidious_instance="https://vid.puffyan.us"
#invidious_instance="https://inv.nadeko.net/"
#invidious_instance="https://yewtu.be/"
#invidious_instance="https://invidious.nerdvpn.de/"
#invidious_instance="https://invidious.f5.si/"

[tabletseeker]

I tried all the instances listed in the invidious documentation and they produced the same error. Only the instance recommended above worked alright.

invidious_instance="https://invidious.flokinet.to/"
#invidious_instance="https://vid.puffyan.us"
#invidious_instance="https://inv.nadeko.net/"
#invidious_instance="https://yewtu.be/"
#invidious_instance="https://invidious.nerdvpn.de/"
#invidious_instance="https://invidious.f5.si/"

Don't use untrusted instances. You have no idea who's running it, what's happening with your data or whether the connection itself is even safe.

Currently the best option is to self-host your own instance. You can literally do this with 3 commands:

• Clone Invidious

   git clone --branch master --depth=1 https://github.com/tabletseeker/invidious
  

• Enter Directory

   cd invidious
  

• Deploy Invidious Docker Image

  docker compose up -d --no-deps --build
  

• Pointytfzf to your invidious instance (2 methods)

  #environment variable  
  invidious_instance="http://127.0.0.1:3000" ytfzf
  #argument
  ytfzf --invidious-instance=http://127.0.0.1:3000
  

This is the safest and fastest way to use invidious and you have complete control over the entire process.